LOS ANGELES | Central City Project Rundown 5.0

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Another day, another DT boutique.

http://la.racked.com/archives/2013/10/04...curio_brings_edgy_boho_vibes_to_dtla.php

For women though, so I don't care very much. But hey, good for downtown!

I haven't been inside yet but the racked article says it's mens and womens. There's also a new tea place next door to this, like an independent Teavana. I have to say it really makes that block pretty nice, with that mens designer Beautiful Ful at the far end. It's a pretty big difference.

[Muji]

Curbed reports that a new bar, Wendell, has opened at 656 S Main St (formerly Craby Joe's). Yes, there are plenty of bars Downtown already, but at least this one is a little off the beaten path on what is still a very quiet block. I also like that it opens up to the sidewalk, kind of like Spring Street Bar.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Daniels for Curbed LA




In other minor news, the Chinese gastropub Peking Tavern soft opened last week, and it is shaping up to be a serious winner.

[inSaeculaSaeculorum]

^on one hand i'm glad that trendy nightlife is exposing a whole generation to the attractiveness of urbanity. on the other hand, functionally speaking, we are building a city that treats urbanity as a trend, meant to have an expiration date and not enticing anyone to change their lifestyles LA metro is big but it's full of suburban-socialized citizenry that will not think radically about urbanism, but will rather treat downtown LA as the 21st century Universal CityWalk.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Because it's a thread about projects & development updates, not parking lots or your depressing posts.

trojan, for one thing, new devlpt invariably involves either the replacement of former parking lots or has a close relationship with current parking lots. Two important new projs now underway, the apt bldg at 8th & grand & the apt tower at 9th & olive will be neighbors with or right across the street from large parking lots, perhaps til some time into the future. if that basic reality is depressing to you, then you're ignoring an important part of the issue of new construction.

most importantly, dealing with parking lots might have been depressing yrs ago, when some of the worse of those lots in dt still existed or wouldn't be replaced for yrs & yrs into the future. iow, we're now at the point where one doesn't have to be just a rah rah cheerleader....& to only talk happy talk....to finally feel truly optimistic about dtla.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by inSaeculaSaeculorum

we are building a city that treats urbanity as a trend, meant to have an expiration date and not enticing anyone to change their lifestyles

that would concern me but for reasons different from yours. I'm mainly worried that if too much of dt still seems...& remains....overly sketchy in the eyes of too many ppl, that eventually the hood could fall apart all over again, as it did starting more than 60 yrs ago.

the fact dt still doesn't attract many new businesses from other parts of town, much less other cities, to fill all the office bldgs...& that ppl in charge of major companies continue to favor hoods like Venice or samo....is a reminder that dtla remains off the beaten path for the types who'd gladly set up their workplace in the urban cores of SF, boston, NYC or seattle.

[colemonkee]

One of my good friends did the design work for Wendell's (among quite a few other bars and restaurants downtown). I got a sneak peak at it a few weeks ago, and can attest that it's a great little space. They did a great job (though obviously I'm a bit biased).

[StethJeff]

Anyone else notice that The Parish closed? Apparently it happened on Sept 30 but I just read about it in downtown la news right now. They got an offer on the building so they just sold it and closed shop. Kind of a shame because that place had a terrific vibe with great food and cocktails. Hopefully, it becomes something else soon, especially now that Wendell's is its new neighbor.

[blackcat23]

I forgot to post this here, but there's a live construction cam for the Federal Courthouse.

http://oxblue.com/open/clarkconstruction/uscourthousela


http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2013/10/watch-feds-build-downtown-las-new.html

[colemonkee]

^ I spy sheet piles! My parking garage is at the LA Times, and yesterday walking to my car to go to work, the earth movers were hard at work.

[Wilcal]

Originally Posted by Mojeda101

Taking up space for another 4 or 5

Deleted

[Wilcal]

Originally Posted by Quixote

8th and Grand is a skyscraper lying down.

Remember Sonny Astani's original project with several towers? If that same design had been for apartment rather than Condos, it probably have done well given its strategic position in the area. Obviously Carmel is taking the cheapest yet most profitable option--a massive monolith, which is of a very poor design, and contributes nothing (if not detracting from) the neighborhood. I was thinking last night how the project, as depicted in the renderings, could be improved. That is to say from being incredibly unimaginative and bland to something salvageable. As it is, I think that it will be a very hated project, and probably one that will be viewed by planners as a mistake which should never be repeated. And as for Astani, I think that he is a "bullshitting liar. He announced his project (actually Angelina was a better design than current) with great fanfare giving the impression that he would follow through, and then the next thing he does is sell it to an out of town developer. He did the exact same thing with G12. He partnered with L&R
purchased land, had designs created, obtained entitlements, and then initiated a sale and a handsome profit. True, this is a great business model, and also very shrewd, but does it make for good urban design and city building?

[Illithid Dude]

I don't think that the design for 8th and Grand is bad. Bland, maybe, but no stucco goes a long way. It could have been a lot, lot worse.

[JRinSoCal]

Will 8th & Grand be built with wood or concrete?

[brudy]

Originally Posted by JRinSoCal

Will 8th & Grand be built with wood or concrete?

I read somewhere that it's not a typeIII, that it will be steel and concrete.

The design isn't the issue for me. It looks ok. But it's just a massive low building. It makes for an odd streetscape. I'd rather see multiple buildings with variability in design rather than one monolithic building. Look at Palmer's monstrosities here. Boston has several of these types of horizontal skyscrapers as well and they're just so monolithic. I think 8th and Grand is a better design, but still. It's obviously not the cheapest way to do it, but they could have sold off sections and still had enough space for a Whole Foods.

[losangelesnative]

does anyone know the deal with metropolis? has the deal closed? any timetable for start of construction?

[bighomey3000]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

I forgot to post this here, but there's a live construction cam for the Federal Courthouse.

http://oxblue.com/open/clarkconstruction/uscourthousela


http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2013/10/watch-feds-build-downtown-las-new.html

I never thought I would live to see this day. How long was that hole in the ground there for?

[bobcat]

For anyone who missed the recent KCRW Grand Ave discussion here's a recording

https://soundcloud.com/kcrw-dna/the-walt-disney-concert-hall

Sound is very low so you may have to turn the volume way up.

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

Anyone else notice that The Parish closed? Apparently it happened on Sept 30 but I just read about it in downtown la news right now. They got an offer on the building so they just sold it and closed shop. Kind of a shame because that place had a terrific vibe with great food and cocktails. Hopefully, it becomes something else soon, especially now that Wendell's is its new neighbor.

I think that block is just screaming for another Flatiron'ish building.

[Mojeda101]

Originally Posted by bobcat

For anyone who missed the recent KCRW Grand Ave discussion here's a recording

https://soundcloud.com/kcrw-dna/the-walt-disney-concert-hall

Sound is very low so you may have to turn the volume way up.

That isn't giving you the full experience. It seemed to have missed the Mayor's speech of his support for the tower and development in the downtown area, along with the post-show discussion with a few of us outside

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by bobcat

For anyone who missed the recent KCRW Grand Ave discussion here's a recording

thanks for that link, bobcat! however, the sound is so low in so many parts of the recording that I really can't hear much, or most, of it. The only person whose voice was loud enough to not have to strain to hear was eric garcetti's.

I'm that kcrw has never posted, or yet to post, the one session of their "which way LA" program....which the session in disney hall was a part of...in all the many, many months that I've wanted to listen to.

TG for ppl like eli broad. however, I do find it interesting that frank gehry still believes his bldg should have been put up around westwood....he's either very burban or very skeptical about the future potential of the oldest sections of LA.

and thanks, blackcat, for posting the link to the cam for the new fed courthouse bldg....I was just wondering what that site looked like right around now & wanted to suggest that you or some other forumer take a snapshot of it. Now that & the broad museum proj can be seen through the web on a daily basis, I don't have to wonder what's the latest goings on.